


Finding Roman after the Fall of Beacon

by KatSohma



Category: RWBY
Genre: Beacon Academy, Fall of Beacon (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22311388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatSohma/pseuds/KatSohma
Summary: Following the fight with Ruby Rose on the Atlesian airship, Neo is tasked with finding Roman in the rubble. Is he alive, or should Neo fear the worst?
Relationships: Neopolitan/Roman Torchwick
Kudos: 28





	Finding Roman after the Fall of Beacon

If there was one thing that Neo had been grateful for in that moment, it’s that her umbrella hadn’t snapped from the sudden gust of wind that carried her from the ship. She had been too far away to see anything that happened after Little Red caused her to float away. The tiny specks of what she could see were going up the ship, opposite of where they had tried to push Red off.

Suddenly, a griffon entered her vision, heading for the ship. Neo could do nothing but watch as the grimm landed on the ship. It blocked her view of Roman and Red for a brief moment, then flew to the back of the ship, crashing into it. From there, she could only see the black speck on the ship as it started to fall, meaning the griffon had taken Roman with it. A cry escaped her as she followed the ship with her eyes. She needed to find a way to get down more quickly to meet the ship on the ground. A way to kill it as soon as possible. Using her umbrella to float towards where it was falling, she started to think of how to approach the grimm. She needed to get Roman and make sure he was safe. She was nothing if she wasn’t with Roman. He was her family.

In order to increase her falling speed to keep up with the ship, she closed her umbrella for a moment. She loved that feeling that the adrenaline gave her as she fell. It started to fill her with a new energy to fuel her as she faced the griffon. Once she was a few miles from the ground, she reopened her umbrella and braced herself to land on the pavement below. Upon landing, Neo watched as the ship hit the ground, and she held her umbrella in front of her to protect herself from the debris that began to fly everywhere. Once the debris began to settle, she ran into the rubble that remained of the ship, searching for the griffon. The griffon came into view as she kept running, as she also kept an eye out for Roman. He wasn’t in its talons, meaning he would have had to hit the ground with the ship. She hoped that his aura was able to protect him from the fall.

She sent an illusion running towards the griffon as she changed course to go around the griffon. The illusion would distract it long enough for her to find a way to kill the grimm in one go. As she was nearing the griffon, she heard as it started going for the illusion, and hoped that Roman wasn’t close enough for the beast to crush him. Climbing the rubble to the side of the grimm, Neo scanned the beast. Griffons didn’t usually have much armor protecting them, but getting the right spot was tough. The neck was always preferable to slice and kill the beast, but not always reliable. Maybe she could cut off the wings and ground it before killing it. There was no knowing if it would fly off before she could get close. Her illusion dispersed. Launching herself off the top of the pile of rubble, she disconnected the handle of the umbrella from the rest, revealing a blade as she landed on the griffons back. The wings sliced off nicely as she then turned and went to slice the neck off. Once the head hit the ground, and the beast started to dissolve, she jumped off and started looking for Roman nearby.

A groan disrupted her concentration, as it sounded like it came from where the grimm had been slain. Neo turned and returned to where she had left it to die. Her eyes widened and tears filled her eyes as she saw the man in front of her. Roman was laying there, covered in blood. She dropped her umbrella and left it, but she didn’t care as she ran to his side and pulled him into her lap. He was pale and his legs looked like they had been crushed from the griffon. Had it eaten him? Questions were running through her head and tears were spilling out of her eyes. She removed his hat and unbuttoned his shirt to see if any damage had been done to his torso. She felt a weak touch on her arm as she directed her attention to Roman’s face, surprised, yet relieved to see him looking at her, smiling at her.

“Neo…”

Although crying, Neo let out a sort of strangled laugh. She was so relieved he was alive, although he might not be for long. Quickly she signed ‘hospital’, knowing she had to get him there no matter what. Roman couldn’t die, not when they needed to be there for each other. As she went to pick up his hat, Roman spoke up.

“You can’t… Hospitals are a n-”

Roman winced as he attempted to sit up. Neo held him closer, looking at him with worry. Tears had stopped falling at this point, but they threatened to come again.

“Neo…”

His voice was quiet and tired. His smile barely remained.

“Stop them for me.. For us… and know… I love.. You…”

The already-weak grip he had on her arm started to weaken more. Neo shook him slightly, taking her hand, forming a r-handshape and tapping it next to her eye to mean ‘Roman’. She watched as his smile started to fade, as well as the light in his eyes. She began to shake him more in hopes that it would help. He couldn’t die. He can’t die! She needed him there for her. She need him alive so she could tell him that she… she loved him as well.

The next thing she knew, he was gone. There was no sign of life left in his features. Neo’s face contorted with grief and pain as her body was wracked with sobs. She held onto Roman’s now-lifeless body as she mourned him. After several minutes, she got up, grabbing some of the rubble and throwing it around in a blind rage. She grabbed his hat, getting ready to throw it, before she stopped. What was she doing? Roman loves this hat, it was a staple in his look as they grew up together, and here she was, trying to throw it in with the debris that surrounded them. Placing the hat on top of her head, she went and grabbed her umbrella from where she dropped it earlier. Allowing herself one more look at Roman, she went over and kissed his forehead, signing ‘I love you’, and his name sign, that she gave him, for the last time.

Adjusting the hat on her head, she started walking. Her brow furrowed as she thought about a plan to stop ‘them’. Her first thought was Little Red and her friends, but then she remembered what Roman had said before she got blown away. Little Red was fine for now, but Neo had to deal with the one who coerced Roman into working for her in the first place and planned the event that ultimately ended with Roman’s death.

Neo had to stop Cinder before anymore damage was done.

**Author's Note:**

> Quite sad that Roman was taken from us. Here's to hoping that we get a backstory at some point! I would love to see more Roman and Neo interactions in the show (though it's not really possible).


End file.
